Archive for New England

I grew up in New Hampshire, where it wasn’t uncommon to drive by a farm with mooing cows and the smell of manure. It’s less common today, but not impossible. In Sunapee, you can take the kids to Sanctuary Dairy Farm to see some farm animals, including goats and donkeys. (I’d suggest just looking, not touching, even though they do get nice and close in case you have a treat.)

Of course, there’s homemade ice cream (so-o-o-o good) and a play area with swings. But I love the views – sky, grass, field, orchard, stable, buildings. On a nice sunny day, you might take your favorite photo, ever. Learn more at http://www.icecreamkidbeck.com

This is the weekend: fall foliage. As I left New Hampshire for a conference, I looked out the window (both car and plane) I noted the deepening oranges and yellows. I took mental pictures of the fleeting reds. Enjoy the season, and check our Facebook site for fall photos. Thanks to Brenda Martin of Enfield for this photo.

Six Flags New England invited media down for the unveiling of their new water park, and my family had a blast. Splash Island has a 3-foot deep area in front, then a channel that swings around the back from left to right. Kids can climb aboard a bright pink inner tube, then the channel will gently push them from one side to the other. Then they can do it again, and again, and again.

We were also quite fond of this contraption:

There’s water spurting out of all types of geysers and waterfalls, and that big bucket at the top dumps gallons on unsuspecting folks. (Well, you could time the intervals between buckets if you didn’t want to get drenched.) There are also four slides (two on each side) that drop you into lagoons of water.

It was a two-hour drive from Grantham to Six Flags (and, warning, along a terribly boring stretch of I-91), but we had a great time at the water park. Maybe when the kids are a bit older, we’ll try the rest of the park!